Reserve fire burns 15,000 acres
By Lethbridge Herald on March 31, 2021.
Shortly after noon on Sunday, Blood Tribe Fire Chief Jacen Abrey reported the fire department received a call about a grass fire occurring near Highway 509. In response to this call, Abrey and the Fire Department staff set up an incident command and staging area near the hay plant to strategize on how to address the fire.
The Blood Tribe Fire Department was able to secure some help from surrounding communities and citizens to help put out the grass fire. Arriving on the scene to lend a helping hand were various fire departments from Raymond, Coaldale, Magrath and Mid-Rivers, and local Hutterite colonies and farmers with tractors and disc equipment.
A crew of over 30 Blood Tribe firefighters worked diligently at the fire scene for over 12 hours to contain the fire using five fire trucks until the weather moved in. Equipment operators running the tractors with discs were able to create a fireguard approximately 30 to 40 feet wide to help contain the fire and keep it from spreading.
Overall, the grass fire burned approximately 15,000 acres, a land area that stretches about 28 kilometres west to east and six kilometres south to north along Highway 509.
Blood Tribe Fire Department has confirmed the grass fire was started by a sweat that was occurring near Highway 509.
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